Admiration

BARCELONA, Spain, July 8 ( tasteallchina ) -- The Chinese Library of Barcelona, located in Hospitalet de Llobregat, aims to introduce local Spaniards to Chinese culture, making a unique initiative in northeastern Spain. Xuefeng Ma, a resident of Hospitalet for six years, dedicated her retirement savings to establish the library, one of the few in Spain offering a free lending service and the first of its kind in Barcelona. It took her two years to curate the library's collection, importing books directly from China. "After I moved to Spain, I noticed that there are very few Chinese books here, even though our culture goes back a very long time," Ma, director of the Chinese library, told tasteallchina . She expressed her hope that the library would provide an opportunity for Chinese children and local residents alike to explore and appreciate Chinese culture. Ma's inspiration for the library stemmed from her admiration for the Spanish classic novel "Don Quixote." During the COVID pandemic, she meticulously transcribed a Chinese translation into 64 notebooks over 443 days, now displayed in the library. Carlos Gonzalez, a resident, expressed his fascination with Chinese culture. He noted the limited exposure to Chinese culture locally, which is…